Blog vs. Website

Exactly one month ago, I decided to do away with my website and go with a blog only.  Thanks to all my wonderful readers who gave me their opinions and insight into their experiences.  They were split about half and half on having both or having a blog only. 

After a month, I thought I'd share my verdict of how it's going.  Let's start with numbers.  I have more than doubled the number of followers on my blog and have more comments than ever.  Page visits for my blog this past month have been triple the usual number of visits I averaged on my website. 

When I decided to do away with my website, I also set a goal for myself to keep my blog active with frequent posting and also to set aside time to visit other blogs.  It's also so easy to change the design on my blog compared to making changes on my website.  In a few weeks I'm going to add another page to my blog to promote an upcoming release.  What's not to love about blogging?

I know from the previous discussion some more of your were thinking of going blog only.  Did anyone else dump their website? 

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and shared their experiences.  I'm learning more every day.  I'm grateful to all my new followers and especially those who stop by here often to comment. 

Now if only I could keep up with Facebook and Goodreads.  Twitter only receives my attention on rare occasions though I usually find lots of links to follow when I do go there.  So now that I settled my blog decision my next question, oh wise audience, is what other social networking tools so you deem worthy of your time?  Facebook?  Twitter?  Goodreads?  LinkedIn?  Others?

One Sentence Pitch

I saw some advice on line earlier this week from an agent who said your query letter should be a pitch not a plot summary.  In my spare moments during this busy week, I've been rewriting (dozens of time) my one sentence pitch.  I'm going to bravely throw it out there for critiques.  I'm pretty sure no one who visits my blog has read this book, First Dragon, so this single sentence will give you the feel for the book or not. 

Men born with dragon-blood ignite a war that could end civilization and the only hope of the free people of Morbunda rests with a young man who must accept his role as a true dragon and a young woman who learns she can call the wind.

I've been on crutches for three weeks and through four snow storms.  I'm tough.  I can take it.  What do you think of my pitch?  What do you think about one-sentence pitches in general?  Now that I remembered to include it!!!

Alex Cavanaugh: Finding Your Voice Online

Today I'm welcoming Alex J. Cavanaugh as a guest poster.  If you haven't heard of him, here's a little bit about Alex:

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He’s experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Currently he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

And here's a blurb and a short review about Alex's latest novel, CassaStar:
To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…



Few options remain for Byron, a talented young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude. Slated to train as a Cosbolt pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life. Much to his chagrin, Bassa, the toughest instructor in the fleet, takes notice of the young pilot. As war brews on the edge of space, Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive. Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

And here is Alex's lesson on finding your voice.
As writers, we’re told to find our voice. Our stories must have a unique voice that sets us apart from other authors. But what about online? As we blog and post on social sites, shouldn’t that voice be unique as well?
It can be a struggle at first. Online, we are just printed words. How can we convey with mere words all that cannot be seen in the physical or felt in the heart and mind?


Science fiction/adventure/space opera,
Dancing Lemur Press LLC

ISBN Print 9780981621067
 eBook 9780982713938



I think our voice develops when we start to focus on our passions. It’s similar to singing. If we’re forced to sing something dull (and forgive me, but church hymns come to mind) we’ll sound monotone and bored. However, give us a song we love, one that stirs our emotions, and we’ll sing loud and with feeling. If we’re excited and passionate, it also comes through in our writing. Who we are as a person starts to shine when we write about topics that move us.

We need to avoid the pitfalls, though. It must be our passions, or we sound monotone and lacking a soul. (Remember - just like singing a hymn!) We don’t want to sound like a used car salesman or a know-it-all, either. However, the greatest trap is to conform. We can take direction from others and let them guide us, but the voice must become our own. Otherwise, we’re just another person online.

Whether we have a book deal or not, we must remember, we’re establishing our voice right now. With every word, we are shaping how others view us. Scary thought, huh? Naturally, we want to put our best foot forward. No one wants to sound like a jerk!



We can’t pretend to be something we’re not, though. No one is perfect, so why worry about it? We just need to be personable and let people know we are real. That’s what draws others to us.

So, how do we find our voice online? By being ourselves and writing about our passions. If you think about it, that’s not difficult at all!

Thank you, Alex, for this very informative post. Please visit his blog where you'll learn even more about running a successful blog and using your distinct voice.

To purchase Alex's book, check out these fine retailers.

Amazon,    Barnes and Noble,    Kindle,    Amazon UK


Voice by Alex

Tomorrow Alex Cavanaugh, author of CassaStar, will guest here and give us his view of finding your voice.  When I first set my mind to becoming a serious writer, I attended a terrific writing conference at Penn State University and joined a local chapter of RWA.  At both these places, people talked about finding your 'voice.'  I had not one clue what they were talking of and being the shy newbie I was, I didn't ask. 

I researched and even then didn't quite understand it until long after I finished my first manuscript.  There weren't anywhere near the online resources at the beginning of my career as there are today.  A writer like Alex Cavanaugh is one of those resources.  Stop by tomorrow and take advantage of what he can teach you, free of charge. 

Wish I Was There But I'm Not. Yet.

Recently I skimmed through the most recent edition of Writer's Digest.  I have an on again, off again relationship with that resource.  Sometimes I'll look through it when I'm at my local Borders and decide to purchase a random copy because it has something in I know I'll want to read in more depth. 

In this issue, a letter to the editor caught my eye.  The writer complained about a well-known writer (without using a  name).  The best-selling author changes POV from paragraph to paragraph in her books, uses adverbs liberally and still sells lots of books.  The letter writer said she found herself being pulled out of the story as she backtracked constantly to figure out who's head she was inside.  The inquiring person wanted to know why some authors get away with these big faux pas.

As authors it is difficult not to notice mistakes in books we read.  A recent bestseller I read had dozens of typos and misspellings.  I wondered where the proof readers were.  I understand a few getting through but this was more than I would expect in a polished manuscript I had prepared to send out.  And like the letter writer, I notice all those adverbs it's okay for successful authors to use.  All those passive verbs.  POV changes abound.  Yet you'll find those books on the displays in the front of book stores.  They'll be on the best seller lists and the author will receive six figure advance money for them. 

If I tried the same thing in my book, no agent would read past the third or fourth adverb.  They'd throw it off the wall at the first head-hopping I did in the middle of a scene.  Let's not even talk about the words, 'was or be,' I'm likely to have sprinkled about the manuscript.  Why can they do that and I can't?

Because I'm not there yet.  I still must follow those rules.  I can't tell my editor to leave it alone. I can't guarantee my faithful readers will pick it up even if I use lots of adverbs.  My publisher doesn't have mega-dollars invested in so they'll promote my work even if it's not my best.  I'm not there and most of aren't.  So I'll keep on following those rules and maybe someday I'll be there.

Have you read any books by famous authors who blatantly ignore the rules we're taught to follow? (No names, please) Do the breaking of the rules distract you when reading?  Which one would you like to break?

Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

My husband is a painter, the kind who paints walls not landscapes.  My sons have benefited from this as they always had a job growing up.  They learned a trade and will never have to hire a painter for their own homes.  There's more to painting than going to the store and picking a color.  My husband could probably write a book about it but something that has come about from the boys working with their father is a family collection of his sayings.  It's kind of a joke but that doesn't mean they're not relevant.

When painting, you have to do things in a certain order.  You don't paint the walls before you paint the ceiling.  You plan the order of the work and then work from that plan.  I'm going to be applying my husband's wisdom for the next week.

Starting today, I'm teaching an online course for CPRW, the local chapter of RWA.  I'll be talking about world building all week.  I'll spend today polishing the posts for that obligation, enough to last the week.  Every evening when I return from work, I'll answer questions and interact with the students.  Good times.

I'm also preparing two blogs for this week, one of them to introduce my highly anticipated guest, Alex Cavanaugh, author of Cassastar.  He's running a Music Top Ten Blogfest starting tomorrow.  Check it out  and join if you can.

Also this week I'm submitting the first book in my newest fantasy series to a publisher.  I received a kind rejection from PYR about two weeks ago.  Is rejection ever kind?

While all that is going on I'll be working on my WIP, the third book in a fantasy romance series.  More about that later.

So do you plan your work and then work your plan?  Do you go with the flow? 

Link to Some Inspirations and Fun

I'm going to cheat at writing this blog by linking to some of my friends' blogs.  I've been a little lazy writing and visiting blogs this week.  Truthfully, walking on crutches at work all week wears me out.  I'm hoping to be released from the crutch thing next week and all my excuses will be gone.

NR Williams won the free book I was giving away over at Cate Master's blog.  I'll be sending that out to her next week when I can walk into the post office. 

In the mean time, read here about why you really don't want to be a writer.  I want to thank Les Edgerton for the link.  Some bad language but beneath all the hilarious sarcasm is a lot of truth.

 And visit Natalie Whipple's blog where Adam Heine talks about studying to be a writer.  Very cool way to look at the journey from beginner to published.

Do you ever feel guilty of the time you spend writing compared to the monetary rewards resulting from your efforts?